Medication Mix-ups

Medication mix-ups are way more common than you might think— despite all the checks and balances in hospital systems.The Institute of Medicine estimates preventable medication errors cause 7,000 deaths every year in hospitals. Not all medication mix-ups are fatal, but they can cause harm.

How do they happen?

Sound-alike names (e.g.Celebrex and Cerebyx)

Scribbled prescriptions

Unknown patient allergies

Taking medications at the wrong time, or with incompatible drugs or foods

Imagine you are supposed to receive 1.0 milligrams of a drug, and a barely visible decimal point causes the pharmacist to deliver 10 milligrams instead. Details matter — but they are easy to check. It just takes a bit of extra time and focus.

Follow this simple checklistto prevent medication mix-ups in the hospital. Learn more about the other common hospital hazards you can help prevent